Patent GB-932008-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for effecting and controlling the movement of railborne vehicles
IPC: B61J3/08
Filed: 1959-12-18
Abstract: 932,008. Propelling rail vehicles. A. M. HOWARD. Jan. 23, 1961 [Dec. 18, 1959], No. 43073/59. Class 104 (2). In apparatus for effecting and controlling the movement of railborne vehicles which incorporates a carriage to be traversed on a subsidiary track located between the rails of the track on which the railborne vehicles are mounted and in which, through the medium of a winch-actuated haulage means, devices on the carriage can be moved into contact with the vehicle wheels for exerting a pushing and/or retarding effort thereon as required and which devices are retractable into a non-obstructing position when necessary to enable the carriage to pass beneath the vehicle, the wheel-engaging means is provided for ensuring the retardation of the movement of the vehicle and movement of the carriage is effected through the intermediary of a component member which is capable of longitudinal displacement in the carriage and provision is made for locking the wheel-retarding means in the retarding position without the need of any prescribed tension in the hauling medium and the wheel retarding means and longitudinal displaceable members are associated in manner such that once the retarding means are locked in the retarding position such means are not displaceable from the retarding position by fluctuation and/or reversals of normal hauling spacers. In the arrangement shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 8, the vehicle moving and controlling carriage 20 is movable on wheels along subsidiary tracks 21 positioned between tracks 22 on which run vehicles to be moved. The carriage 20 is provided adjacent its trailing end with horizontal pivoting propelling arms 23 and adjacent its leading end with horizontal pivoting retarding arms 36. Each propelling arm 23 is rigidly attached to a vertically mounted drum 231 having anchored thereto one end of a cable 27, the other end of which cable 27 is attached to a piston 28, Fig. 8, slidable against a spring 30 within a cylinder 29 provided with a small aperture 292 in order to exert a damping effect on the piston movement. The outer end of each propelling arm 23 has mounted thereon a deflector roller 26 and a vertically pivotal arm 233 which carries a pair of propelling rollers 24 one of which engages the upper surface of the track rail 22 and the other, in the operative position, the tread of the vehicle wheel 25. The propelling arm 23 is moved into and out of the operative position in the following manner. Assuming the carriage 20 to be pulled rearwardly by a rope 411 beneath vehicles provided with wheels 25 the deflector rollers 26 engage the flanges of the wheels 25 to pivot the arms 23 to the position shown at (a) in Fig. 4 against the spring 30. When the deflecting rollers 26 disengage the flange of the wheel 25 the arm 23 is moved by the spring 30 into the wheel 25 engaging position shown in full in Fig. 4, the movement of the arm being limited by a rubber buffer 31. The retarding arm 36 is provided at its outer end with a deflector roller 362 and a vertically pivotal arm 363 on which is mounted a pair of retarding rollers 361. The rollers 361 are disposed in a similar manner to the propelling roller 24. The retarding arm 36 is associated with a drum 35, Fig. 8, around which is wound a cable 34 anchored at one end to a piston 321 and at the other end to a piston 331. The pistons 321, 331 are mounted respectively in cylinders 32, 33 provided with small apertures 322, 332 in order to provide a damping effect on the pistons slidable therein. The pistons 321, 331 are, respectively, slidable against springs 371, 372 the spring 372 of which is the stronger. The deflecting rollers 362 engage the flange of wheels 25, when the carriage is moved forward, to deflect the arms 36 to the position (c) shown in Fig. 4. A locking arm 46 rigidly associated with each retarding arm 36 has an outer end which lies in the path of the head 401 of a shuttle 40 slidably mounted within a central slideway 202 provided on the carriage 20. The trailing end 411 of the carriage haulage cable is connected to the trailing end of a draw bolt 42 longitudinally displaceable within the shuttle 40 against a rubber buffer 43. The leading end 412 of the haulage cable is connected to the leading end of the draw bolt 42. When the carriage 20 is moved rearwardly by the cable 411 beneath a vehicle to be moved the propelling arms 23 are, as described, rotated to position (a), Fig. 4, and the retarding arms 36 are rotated to position (b), Fig. 4, by cables pulling the shuttle 40 rearwardly so that the head 401 engages the arm 36 initially to rotate the arms 36 to the position indicated at (b) in which position the arms 36 pass the wheels 25 and the arms 46 finally pass over to engage the front face of the head 401 of the shuttle 40. Once the carriage 20 has been moved by the cable 411 to the required position and the arms 23 have moved to the propelling position the haulage cable 412 is actuated to move the carriage 20 forward. Initially, the carriage 20 is pulled forwards by the front face of the head 401 of the shuttle 40 tending to rotate the arms 46 of the retarding arms 36 against the spring 372. Once the deflecting rollers 362 contact the flanges of the wheels 25 the retarding arms 36 are rotated against the spring 372 to the position indicated at (c), Fig. 4, and the head 401 of the shuttle 40 moves pass the arms 46 and into contact with the spring 44. When the rollers 362 are clear of the flanges of the wheels 25 the arms 36 are swung outwardly into the retarding position in front of the wheels 25 and the arms 46 are moved to a position behind the head 401 of the shuttle 40. At the end of the haul the carriage 20 is drawn up to and against a stop or against a rope attached to the trailing end of the carriage 20 and the spring 44 is compressed by the shuttle 40 which shuttle 40 moves clear of the arms 46 of the retarding arms 36 which arms 36 are now pivoted into the retracted position (b), Fig. 4, by the springs 372. Prior to their movement the abutment of the arms 46 with the shuttle 40 will hold the retarding arms 36 in the operative position and would constrain the wheels within the location of the arms 23, 36. On completion of the haulage operation reversal of movement of the carriage 20 brings the deflecting rollers 26 in contact with the flanges of the wheels 25 to pivot the arms 23 to the position (a), Fig. 4, as they pass each wheel 25 and the shuttle 40 is pulled rearwardly up to a stop 203, thus moving the head 401 of the shuttle 40 past the arms 46 which then bear on the front face of the head 401 and are held in the position (b), Fig. 4, by the springs 372. In an alternative arrangement, Fig. 5 (not shown), the propelling arms 23 are provided with locking arms, which are similar to the locking arms 46 of the retarding arms 36, which arms are engaged by the end of the shuttle 40 to pivot the propelling arms 23 to the inoperative position (a), Fig. 4, when the shuttle 40 is moved rearwardly of the carriage 20 by the rope 411. In a further arrangement shown in Fig. 6 the haulage rope 412 is connected to the shuttle 40 and the trailing rope is secured to a fixed anchorage 205 on the carriage 20. An auxiliary spring 441 provided between the end face of a pocket 403 in the shuttle 40 and the wall 121 of the carriage 20 tends to move the shuttle 40 into abutment with a fixed stop 203 provided on the carriage 20. In a modification, Fig. 7 (not shown), of the arrangement described with reference to Fig. 6, the propelling arms 23 are provided with locking arms similar to locking arms 46 and the shuttle 40 is provided with a rearwardly-extending portion which engages the locking arms of the propelling arms 23 to move such arms 23 to the inoperative position after forward hauling ceases. In a modification of the propelling arm 23, Fig. 12 (not shown), a verticallypivotable arm 23 is not provided and a single vehicle propelling roller 24 only is mounted on the arm.